They have “autonomous regions”, but not republics. China is not a federation. Rather, it’s a Unitary state.
But USSR was a Federal state, a union of multiple Soviet republics, and one of the republics (RSFSR) was also a federal republic. Each republic had its own flag, state emblem, anthem and communist party (except RSFSR, which didn’t have its own anthem and party). They did it all according to Lenin’s formula of “The Right of Nations to Self-Determination Up To And Including Secession”. It was the only country in the world to include that in their constitution.
But China doesn’t have all that. Why?
P.S. I’m looking for answers, not confrontation.
This is the first time I’ve heard someone pin the USSR’s demise on federalism. How exactly do you figure this played a role in the downfall of the Soviet Union?
You should read Vladislav Zubok’s Collapse. The formal structure of the USSR meant that it was held together by the strength of the CPSU. When the party’s power faltered due to Gorbachev, ambitious politicians took over the SSRs and pushed for greater and greater autonomy in order to maximize their power until they broke the whole thing apart.